1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a sanitary napkin and particularly to a method and apparatus permitting the convenient disposal of a used napkin.
2. Summary of the Prior Art
A sanitary napkin is periodically worn by practically every female. In recent years, sanitary napkins have been designed with adhesive strips on one side thereof to permit the napkin to be conveniently adhered to the inside of a tight fitting undergarment, such as panties or panty hose. While the comfort and securement of sanitary napkins has been improved, there has not been a corresponding improvement in the ease of disposal of such napkins. It has been proposed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,035,578 to Elmore that a disposable cover be folded and adhesively secured to the non-active side of the sanitary napkin whereupon a used napkin may be wrapped in the cover which is stripped from its adhesive securement to the napkin. This involves an unnecessary amount of activity for the napkin user and also does not insure that the wrapping around the soiled napkin will remain in place. See also U.S. Pat. No. 3,973,567 to Srinivasan, et al.
Other prior patents, such as U.S. Pat. No. 3,024,788 to Lane, U.S. Pat. No. 3,230,956 to Kargul, U.S. Pat. No. 3,274,999 to Robinson, U.S. Pat. No. 3,604,423 to Fraser, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,182,336 to Black, have proposed that various configurations of envelopes be fabricated as an integral part of the sanitary napkin, and generally reversely folded to encompass the soiled napkin. These constructions are characterized by high cost of manufacture, since the fabrication of an envelope as an integral part of a sanitary napkin is inherently costly. The prior art has not really solved the problem of providing an economical method and apparatus for effecting the sanitary disposal of soiled sanitary napkins.